So do you? Well if you do want to see what dirt Google has on you, all you need are 7 little links. And I’m going to give them to you. I’m also going to show you what you can do to disable most of this stream of information winging its way back to Google HQ.
What Does Google Know About Me
1. History – Want to see your entire Google history? This is where to start. It shows all your activity across all your devices. To make sure your settings are as private as possible, take the privacy check up.
2. Location History – This handy little tool allows you to see where you’ve been. And not just you, but Google knows too! Handily, within this page there is a button called Pause Location History. Which turns off the tracking. And if you click the little bin icon, you can also delete all your history too.
3. Adverts and their settings – This tool shows you what Google thinks you like. It’s based on your browser and search history and is used to target relevant adverts at you. To turn it off is as easy as clicking the slider on the right hand upper corner.
4. Connected Apps – This shows you what applications have permission to access your profile and what they can see within it. A great way to start your privacy purge. Remove all the apps you don’t use and the ones that want too much information.
5. Data Tools – This is the area where all your gathered data is stored. You can download a full copy of everything that Google knows about you, right here. It’s a great way to keep track of your privacy. Try it again after you have changed all your settings and see if it makes a difference.
6. Dashboard – This is all the settings for all your accounts including blogs, websites, analytics and everything else. A command centre for all your data and all your controls.
7. Youtube History – The last bastion of your search history. Ostensibly, this is not included in your other search history as Google use it to serve you relevant videos based on your viewing history. If you want to take back that last little piece of privacy, pause the history and clear it.
Are you shocked by everything that Google knows about you? I always find the location history and the tracking it provides to be creepy as hell. It’s like being stalked by an invisible person. Hopefully you now have all the controls you need to keep your privacy concerns at bay.
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